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It might seem strange for a legislator who is a proud Texas Aggie and whose district includes Baylor University to be touting the importance of the Texas Longhorn and the important role this breed of cattle has played in the history of our great state.

Unfortunately, an important herd of native Texas Longhorns currently under the care and management of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is in jeopardy and needs our help. That is why I am calling on all Aggies, T-Sips, Baylor Bears, and Texans of all stripes to join me in fighting to protect these Longhorns that have roamed for more than half a century in the area that is now Big Bend Ranch State Park. These Longhorns are considered an integral part of Big Bend Ranch heritage and, therefore, have remained on the ranch as living exhibits of how the West once was and to maintain the genetic integrity of one of the purest of Longhorn bloodlines.

Recently, it has come to my attention that the state of Texas has begun selling off drastic numbers of the Longhorn herd from Big Bend Ranch State Park. While it is normal for the Ranch to sell off its yearly calf-crop to help provide additional funds for the maintenance and upkeep of the herd, there needs to be limitations to the selling of this Longhorn herd to ensure that they remain a vital example of our Texas Heritage before they are eradicated completely. Currently there are only 33 animals remaining out of the original herd which at one time numbered in excess of 200.

Ancestors of the Texas Longhorn date to 1521 when Gregorio de Villalobos brought 30 heifers and three bull calves to North America from Spain. Longhorn cattle on Big Bend Ranch can be traced back to the 1860s, but it was nearly 100 years later when Robert Anderson (no relation to me) purchased the land creating the Diamond “A” Cattle Company that the genetic integrity of the herd really started to blossom. Anderson began stocking the ranch with registered Longhorns from the Wichita Mountain Refuge bloodline, which is the genetically pure Texas Longhorn bloodline.

In 1988, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department purchased the land and the cattle from Diamond “A” Cattle Company creating, ultimately, the Big Bend Ranch State Park — an important state park adjacent to the federally owned and maintained Big Bend National Park.

Although the state's posture in the matter of the Longhorns should be one of stewardship and protecting these animals, it has become readily apparent that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has plans to sell off all but a few neutered display animals of the herd in a misdirected effort to reduce the herd's impact on the 311,000 acre park's ecosystem.

As soon as I learned of the problem, I introduced House Bill 3037, which would have prohibited Texas Parks and Wildlife from further reducing the size of the Big Bend Ranch herd. The bill would have allowed the sale of calves and heifers if the number of breeding stock were not reduced. Unfortunately, the legislative session ended without my bill reaching the House floor. Recently, 50 of my legislative colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, signed a letter to Gov. Rick Perry urging him to intervene and halt the sale of any more Longhorns from the state park.

Management styles and managers come and go over the years. However, this legacy Longhorn herd belongs to the people of Texas, not to the management of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. That is why our efforts have been supported by the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, the Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Registry & the Cattlemen's Texas Longhorn Conservancy. I hope you will let the Parks and Wildlife Department know that you too oppose further degradation of this important herd and call on them to stop this illogical and politically correct attempt to rid an environment of a natural inhabitant.

This herd is intended to provide a visual interpretation as descendants of the original cattle that evolved through natural selection in the Texas brush country. It is imperative that we keep this history and heritage alive to show and teach our children, grandchildren, and future generations of Texans as well as all Americans.